Wharton quits State Dept. after 8 months on the job - Clifton Wharton Under-Secretary of State

The State Department's ranking Black sub-Cabinet official, distinguished educator and business administrator Clifton Wharton suddenly resigned in Washington as number two man, in the midst of a power struggle over a failing administration diplomatic policy.

As deputy secretary, the 62-year-old former head of the nation's $112 billion teachers pension fund and chancellor of New York State University, was the State Department's highest positioned Black, being billed on his appointment as a business and administrative wizard. He is the namesake son of the first Black to pass the foreign service exam, and first named ambassador to Norway by President John F. Kennedy.

Blaming his exit on "sustained anonymous leaks to the media," Wharton complained about a campaign that pictured him as unfriendly to Secretary of State Warren Christopher and ineffective as "the back-up department head." The judgement came despite Wharton's being in the post less than a year.

Insiders pointed out that Wharton had little input in policy matters in the department, not even attending the important sub Cabinet sessions. He was given tasks of administration and staff realignments.

Without prior diplomatic experience and without a base of support, Wharton relied on his reputation as the strong point in a department where positions change by the minute.

The only Black listed among probable successors is Donald McHenry, a former United Nations ambassador, who now is a university professor in the Washington, D.C., area.